Mystik Warrior: (Dark Warrior Alliance Book 2) by Brenda Trim, Tami Julka Page B

her lip when he loped over to them and tapped on her window. “So, where are we off to?”
    “I am going to meet with Mackendra from SOVA—”
    Orlando cut her off. “She insists on leaving the compound.”
    She ignored him and continued talking, “so I can inform her about the death of her friend and warn her about the danger and the police involvement—”
    Orlando’s voice rose above hers, trying to drown out her words as he continued, “She won’t listen to reason and let me and Santiago handle this.”
    Again, she ignored Orlando. “And, they are coming along to protect me. Want to join us?” she finished, figuring she wasn’t going to win with Kyran, given her brother-in-law’s protectiveness of her. Besides, it couldn’t hurt to have more warriors with her.
    Rhys laughed at Orlando’s groan when Kyran nodded and silently climbed into the other back seat. The air became thicker in the quiet of the vehicle as they pulled out of the compound. The three hulking men took all the free space in the vehicle. Elsie felt claustrophobic with them surrounding her and rolled down her window, letting in fresh air.
    Kyran finally broke the silence as they drove across town. “So what’s the plan?”
    “You guys are going with me so I can speak to Mackendra. She is the leader of SOVA and my friend, so you guys need to hide your weapons and don’t be so intimidating. This woman is a soldier and won’t miss anything. Friend or not, she will be skittish if she suspects something. I haven’t told her that I am a vampire, and I don’t think it is a good idea that she knows that right now. She has hunted skirm for many years and would likely shove a dagger in my chest if she knew.”
    “Sounds like my date from Saturday night,” Rhys quipped.
    “Be careful of your emotions, Elsie. You are new to vampirism, and your control is so-so at best. Your fangs tend to come down and your eyes glow when you get riled up,” Orlando warned when they parked close to the busy square.
    “Okay,” she breathed as she climbed out of the car. Control, she told herself. Remembering that was going to be a challenge. She wasn’t going to back down now though, she considered this woman her friend. After all, Mack had helped her through the toughest times of her life.
    Mackendra was easily spotted across the crowd with her short, spiky, black hair and sleeve of tattoos. She grinned to herself as she read the pink t-shirt stretched across Mackendra’s ample bosom. The woman was an activist to the core, sporting a top that read ‘Check Your Boobies Bitches’ with a pink ribbon. The message was clear, and cut to the chase, much like the wearer. Elsie wanted a shirt for herself.
    “Hey, thanks for meeting me,” she called out as they approached. She embraced Mackendra and held her close for a moment. She had missed her friend. “I love your shirt.”
    Mackendra looked down then met her gaze with a small smile. “I wear it in honor of my aunt. One in eight women are affected by breast cancer, and we’ve got to get the message out. It’s been way too long, El. What happened to you? And who are your new friends?” Mackendra eyed the guys suspiciously, lingering on Kyran for several moments.
    Elsie noticed the dichotomy between Kyran and Rhys. Kyran stood rigidly with his arms crossed over his chest while and Rhys was flirting with a couple women to their left. Rhys was no surprise, but something was up with Kyran. His tension was palpable. She didn’t have time to ferret that out at the moment though, and focused back on Mack.
    “I’m sorry for not calling sooner. My life took an unexpected, but wonderful turn,” Elsie said then turned to the guys. “This is Detective Orlando Trovatelli. He is one of the detectives who investigated my first husband’s murder.”
    Mackendra’s head snapped back to Elsie, then Orlando, and returned to Kyran, whose eyes had yet to leave the female’s face. “You said first husband. Does that